


TWO-FACED

by cccshin



Category: JO1 (Japan Band)
Genre: Action, Dark, Escape, Gen, Mystery, Partnership, Running Away, Sneaking Around, Spies & Secret Agents, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27395299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cccshin/pseuds/cccshin
Summary: Takumi and Sukai are members of the newly formed idol group JO1. They are also undercover spies, on a mission to find out the dark secret hidden in the depths of the huge CY group. Being an idol is tough, not to mention being a spy and hiding their secret from the rest of the group on top of that. But the two of them can handle it…right?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction. Anything written about any companies or individuals is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes only. Aside from JO1, any similarity to real companies or individuals is purely coincidental.
> 
> It has dark elements so tread with caution if you are sensitive or easily triggered by that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first JO1 fic and my second ever fic so I appreciate the support :') I hope you enjoy! Would love to see your comments~

“…Sukai…Hurry up…!” Takumi’s voice buzzed with urgency through Sukai’s earpiece. Sukai said nothing, eyes glued on the laptop screen. The passcode decryption took longer than he had anticipated, but he managed to log in eventually and the file downloads were almost complete. The office was stuffy and beads of sweat started to form on Sukai’s forehead as he watched the loading bar.

_91%...92%...93%..._

Takumi, who was keeping a look out, had already informed him that the director’s car had entered the building’s carpark. This meant a narrow escape for Sukai. He wondered if he dared to escape from the front door and risk encountering the director face to face. He briefly glanced at the windows. No luck there – they were fixed. He looked up. A single air-conditioning duct. It seemed like the most viable option, Sukai just prayed it wouldn’t give in under his weight.

Finally, the screen flashed the download complete sign and Sukai logged out and grabbed the flash drive in one swift motion. Takumi’s voice continued to buzz through the earpiece as Sukai hoisted himself up using the windowsill and the shelf that was thankfully placed near the duct. He removed the cover easily and peered inside. Luck was on his side, for it appeared to be parallel to the ceiling, allowing him to crawl through. He pulled himself into the duct and shut the cover with not a moment to spare as he begun to hear voices approaching the office.

“Takumi-kun, I’m in the air-conditioning duct. Can you give me directions out?” Sukai whispered as he crawled through.

“Give me a sec.” Sukai could hear Takumi’s swift typing on the keyboard, “Okay when you hit a fork turn left, then…”

* * *

“You’re slow!” Takumi frowned as Sukai entered the car.

“Sorry, the decrypting took a while. As expected, they’re careful.” Sukai put on his seatbelt as Takumi started to drive off from the CY building. “But I got the files. Did you turn the security cameras back on?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake. We’ve got to hurry back, Naoto-san is looking for you.” Takumi tossed Sukai’s phone in his direction. “I replied that you went to the convenience store.”

“Ah, shit. Thanks. Good thing we live far away from the store…” Sukai managed a chuckle.

Takumi pulled into the designated car parking space that their agency rented. Not JO1’s agency, but their spy agency.

They got off and hurried to the main road to try to flag a taxi back to their dormitory. A cool breeze came by and Takumi shivered and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. He couldn’t believe it was already March, making it over half a year that he and Sukai had become partners in this undercover mission.

_[Six months ago]_

Takumi had been working with the spy agency ever since he graduated from high school. He had been invited by his close friend’s father, as they were looking for someone young, athletic, and observant, with a boyish and unsuspecting look like himself. The spy agency had a cover, which was that of a buggy engineering company. Hence, for one and a half years, everyone around Takumi, including his own family, thought he was working as an engineer when he was actually working on top secret missions. No one ever suspected a thing though, as Takumi was naturally quiet and wasn’t one to share about his work anyway.

In the past, Takumi’s work mostly revolved around observing people from afar, or as a support staff behind the scenes. On occasion he was sent on short undercover missions – like posing as a technician to enter buildings – but they were nothing too major. So Takumi was surprised when his boss assigned him his current mission – to join an idol audition program to expose the secrets of the huge CY group, which was the group behind many famous entertainment companies and shows. There had been a tip off that there was something more sinister happening deep within. His bosses were convinced that with Takumi’s incredible sense to pick up skills quickly, plus his god-tier visuals, he would definitely do well on the show and could potentially even make it to the final group to further dig into CY’s secrets. So, on the surface, it would appear that Takumi has quit his engineering company, but he would still be working with the spy agency.

Takumi was also told that he would be meeting his spy partner at the audition – someone who he had never met before, as this person was scouted directly to join this mission. Since only 101 trainees would be selected to participate in the show, the agency had sent many individuals to apply, but only the two of them made it in. Takumi initially protested, concerned that having a newbie join an undercover mission would be too risky, especially without planning together beforehand. However, he was assured by his bosses that this person would meet expectations and more.

Takumi wasn’t given much information about this partner, aside from the fact that he was scouted for reasons similar to Takumi - young, athletic, and quietly observant.

On the day that the trainees gathered for the first time to show their first audition performance, Takumi tried keeping a lookout. But since the audition had 101 trainees, even with Takumi’s sense, he couldn’t pinpoint his partner. He simply made mental notes about each trainee who stood out to him. He also noticed there were cameras literally everywhere, at every nook and cranny. This job was not going to be easy under such high surveillance.

However, luck was on his side such that he managed to make contact with his partner quickly. During the B class training for their title song, a tall and slender boy approached him. Takumi remembered this boy from the very first time the trainees gathered. This boy had a completely different look from Takumi – sharp and stoic, contrasting Takumi’s young, boyish looks. This boy also had a great voice, and a unique name – “Sukai” which Takumi remembered well.

“Hi, I’m Sukai,” the taller boy nodded, “We’re both from Kansai, right? I hope we can get along. My friend is in a different class, so I don’t know anyone and am a little nervous...”

Takumi studied the boy’s expression. He sure didn’t look nervous with that poker-face, Takumi thought.

“Sure,” Takumi nodded.

“That’s great,” Sukai broke his poker-face and let out a smile, “I was hoping we could practice the song together a bit, I’m not sure about this part…” Sukai showed his music score handout to Takumi.

_F-A-C-E-D-F-A-C-E-D._

Takumi froze for a split second. He immediately deciphered the music notes Sukai had scrawled on the paper. The notes for ‘F-A-C-E-D’ was written twice.

_TWO-FACED._

The codeword for the mission.

Takumi maintained his expression and glanced briefly at Sukai. This boy was his spy partner. However, even if he found his partner, it would be difficult for them to communicate, since staff and cameras were all around them.

“Oh yeah, of course,” Takumi gestured to a corner of the room, “Let’s practice over there.”

He wondered if Sukai knew Morse code.


	2. Partners

“I-I’m so sorry!!” Takumi yelped and practically stumbled a few steps backwards. The man who Takumi bumped into turned around.

“Oi, Takumi…what are you doing?? I heard that’s the CEO!” Ren whispered as he pulled Takumi’s arm.

“Eh? C-CEO?! I’m so sorry!!” Takumi hurriedly bowed in apology.

But of course, Takumi already knew that. Prior to the audition, Takumi had studied every single notable person of the CY group. He knew everything publicly available about them. And as Takumi had anticipated, the CEO, a man in his 60s called Okada, was present to watch the recording of the program’s title song ‘Tsukame’. The first contact – a chance for Takumi.

The older man studied Takumi for a moment, then broke into a smile. “Ah, Kawanishi Takumi who got upgraded to A class, right? As well as our center, Kawashiri Ren. I’m looking forward to your performance.”

“We’ll be in your care.” The two boys bowed politely.

An announcement called for the A class trainees to head up on stage.

“Please excuse us.”

The CEO hummed as he watched the two of them hurry off.

* * *

Takumi glanced up as the door of the bath slid open. It was Sukai, in a black t-shirt and sweatpants. Takumi gave Sukai a brief nod.

“Are you sure no one will come in?” Sukai squatted down next to Takumi.

“It’s past 4am… I don’t think they will use the bath at this hour.” Takumi handed one side of the earpiece to Sukai.

“I wonder about that…I still see a couple of trainees practicing…” Sukai mumbled as he fit the earpiece into his ear.

“Anyway, we don’t have much choice. The bath is the only place free of cameras in this whole facility. We’ll be quick.” Takumi scrolled through a list of audio recordings on his phone. “I managed to plant a listening device on the CEO this morning…of course, it’s only a day’s worth of audio since the chip will disintegrate once he washes his clothing.”

“I see. I suppose there’s something interesting since you called me here.”

“The team back at the agency analysed it for us…this is the only part of interest – Him talking to another person…” Takumi tapped on one of the files.

> _“…Ah yes, the boys seemed full of hope and enthusiasm. Willing to do anything to make their dreams succeed. I see potential in some of them to come onboard to our project…”  
>  _
> 
> _“Haha…These are the best types after all. A blank slate, the easiest to groom.”  
>  _
> 
> _“Indeed. Plus, they are already racking up the fans, even before the show has aired. The fans are essential for us, after all… They are an important puzzle piece to make our project a success.”_

Sukai tilted his head and rubbed the back of his neck, “I mean…I guess the tone sounds kind of suspicious, but it’s so generic. Normal entertainment companies care about grooming their idols and gathering fans too. This can’t be used as evidence for anything.”

Takumi shook his head, “Of course not. This is just the very beginning.” He played the audio again. “But the very last line definitely makes it sound like something is going on…why would they call fans an ‘important puzzle piece’? What is this project...?”

Sukai shrugged, “This audition program’s final group?”

Takumi mentally rolled his eyes. This is why he didn’t approve of a newbie joining the mission. Even though Takumi was still considered a junior in the agency, the training and experience he got over the past one and a half years was enough to differentiate himself from a newcomer. He could feel something was amiss.

“Well,” Takumi gestured for the earpiece back, “We’ll see.”

Over the next few weeks of the program, progress of the mission was slow, as neither the CEO nor any notable people from the CY group showed up at the training or performance venues. Sukai and Takumi tried being friendly and chatting with the camera crew and stylists, but found out most of them were hired specifically for the program and wouldn’t be of much help to them. They agreed that the best course of action at the moment would be to focus on the audition and work hard to make it to the final 11 – so that they can further proceed with their mission in the debut group.

Prior to the eliminations that would cut the trainees down from 35 to 20, all trainees were allowed to go out one evening, and were to return back by the next morning. Some chose to spend it with family, while others who lived too far away spent it together with other trainees.

Takumi decided that there was something he wanted to look into during this time off. He rejected the idea of Sukai coming along – it would seem odd as the two of them hardly interacted in front of others to keep a low profile. Takumi instead suggested that Sukai head down to the agency’s Tokyo headquarters, to hopefully get some intensive spy training which he felt Sukai needed.

Takumi left the dorm alone with his knapsack slung over his shoulder. He headed to a public restroom in a park to change into his disguise – a dark wig to hide his noticeable pink hair, a white facial mask, and a pair of square black plastic rimmed glasses. For once, he was thankful for his average height that would allow him to look like any other typical Japanese guy on the streets. Now that many people knew of him, he had to be very wary of his appearance, especially when carrying out his duties.

He headed over to the CY building by train. It was past 8pm by the time he arrived. He stood in front of the building and looked up. It was a tall glass building at least 30 storeys high and looked even more impressive in person than in the pictures he saw online. He glanced around and there were still many people walking around on the streets which was brightly lit. Nothing felt off about the exterior.

He entered the building. It was warm and welcoming. The ground floor of the building seemed to serve as an area for visitors, complete with a miniature model of the premises, some posters explaining the history of the company, and a café. Takumi simply pretended to be a curious tourist, taking his time to read all the posters, and studying the building layout. He noticed a loading/unloading bay in the layout, an area branched off from the carpark. Since there was no way for him to actually enter the office area at this point, he opted to take a quick look there instead.

He took the stairs down to the carpark. He noted it was pretty empty, as most of the office crowd had gone home by then. He scanned through the cars that were present and mentally went through the list of key number plates he had memorised. None of them were there at that moment.

Takumi tucked himself away at a blind spot where security cameras couldn’t see. He pulled out his phone and tapped on an app in the bottom right corner – it was a special app developed by the agency, with multiple handy functions for missions. He needed to jam the signals of the cameras between his current location and the loading bay wing, and replace them with static footage of the area. He prayed that no one would come by or leave during that time, else there might be a jump in the footage when he restored the signals.

He hurried over to the loading/unloading bay wing and hesitantly looked around. There was a single black truck parked in the area. He noted the number plate was familiar – meaning it was a truck that CY used often. There were some voices, but they grew fainter as they headed into the building.

Takumi debated if he dared go over to the truck, and finally decided that he might as well since he was already there.

Takumi hurried over as silently as possible. The back doors of the truck were closed but not locked. Takumi unhooked the latch and opened the doors. Thankfully, since it was approaching December, he was already wearing winter gloves which would prevent fingerprints. He couldn’t hear the voices anymore, so he hauled himself into the back of the truck and shut the doors. The air inside was stale but strangely had an overpowering perfume smell. He switched on his phone’s flashlight, first of all identifying an area to conceal himself in case anyone opened the doors suddenly. He examined the labels of the boxes – they appeared pretty random, ranging from clothing to stationery to dry food supplies. The boxes were sealed so he didn’t want to risk tampering with them.

Just then, Takumi heard voices from outside.

_Crap._

He quickly dove into his hiding spot and switched off his flashlight. The doors didn’t open. Instead, he heard the latch being closed from the outside, and the engine starting up. Takumi panicked for a brief moment, but thought that it might be a good chance to find out where their other base was.

He composed himself, quickly restored the security camera signals with the app, and switched his flashlight back on. There was one thing left unexplored in the truck – a black tarp. Takumi pulled the tarp away which revealed a black garbage bag and a cooler box. The cooler box was chained up tightly and locked, which was strange to say the least. He tried to pry open the lid slightly from under the chains, but it wasn’t enough to see the contents. Instead, there was a faint smell of antiseptic.

Takumi decided to leave the box be and moved on to the garbage bag. Inside was just a bunch of cloth covered with grease which made Takumi grimace. Just as he was about to give up, from deep inside the bag, he pulled out a Ziploc bag. Inside were several pairs of gloves and some more cloth – but this time stained with a dark brown substance.

Takumi held his breath. He was pretty sure he knew what it was, but somehow, he wanted to be wrong about it. He gingerly opened it and his heart sank when he smelled the unmistakable iron scent of dried blood. That’s why the truck had such a strong perfume smell, to mask any other smells. He quickly sealed back the bag.

Takumi opened the camera app to take photos of each item in the truck. But just as he was about to take a photo of the random boxes, a notification popped up in the camera app.

> _Flash is Disabled. The iPhone battery is low and needs to be charged before you can use the flash_

Takumi mentally kicked himself, he should have brought along a handheld flashlight as well. He slid his phone back into his pocket. At least he managed to capture the more incriminating items. He tried his best to put everything back in its original place while feeling his way around in the darkness.

Soon, the truck came to a stop and the engine switched off. Takumi hastily slid himself back into the hiding spot, hoping they wouldn’t open the back.

Thankfully, he heard the beep of the doors being locked and footsteps and voices going off in the distance. He sat in silence for a few minutes, to make sure they didn’t come back suddenly.

Finally, he decided it was safe to leave. He felt his way towards the door and-

Takumi groaned. He forgot the door was latched from the outside. He pushed it slightly. It wasn’t locked, but someone needed to open it from the outside. He pulled out his phone, but the battery had already died from earlier. He opened his knapsack and fumbled around for his wallet – hopefully, a card would be thin but sturdy enough to slide through the gap of the door and try to push the latch up.

He took out his Suica card and slid it between the doors. It fit, but the card wasn’t long enough – it barely extended past the thickness of the doors.

Takumi lowered himself back to the floor in defeat. How was he going to get out? He couldn’t possibly wait for one of CY’s staff to open it and get caught. He could attempt to find something else to use from inside the truck, but it was pitch black, so it would take a while. Takumi wiped the drops sweat forming on his brow with the back of his sleeve.

Just then, he heard the sound of the latch. Takumi scrambled to his hiding spot but ultimately was too far and the door opened, the moonlight streaming through and spilling onto Takumi. He tried to focus on the silhouette standing before him.

It was Sukai.

Sukai had on a black beanie and mask. But his build and fox-like eyes were unmistakable to Takumi. Without a word, Sukai simply tilted his head to the side, gesturing for Takumi to get out quickly. Takumi grabbed his knapsack and climbed out. Takumi hooked back the latch and Sukai pointed to the direction to get out. Takumi nodded. They snuck as silently as possible, crouching down to avoid being seen. Takumi noted that the place wasn’t a laboratory or warehouse like he hoped, it appeared to just be staff living quarters. But who knows, maybe there was something hidden there as well, and they could come back to check it out in the future.

Takumi suddenly jumped and almost let out a yell at the sound of a dog barking. Sukai cursed mentally as they started to hear voices of staff, wondering what the commotion was.

“Run.”

They sprinted. But they could also hear more voices and more barking – someone was chasing after them. Takumi continued running, trusting Sukai to lead the way out. Sukai was incredibly fast. Takumi had confidence in his athletic ability, but Sukai was on another level. Sukai turned a corner and appeared to be running straight towards a brick wall. Takumi noted a section of the barbed wire above it appear to be cut – probably where Sukai entered the facility. Takumi gulped. The wall was pretty high, and Takumi was a good 8cm shorter than Sukai. Sukai leaped and grabbed hold of the top of the wall with ease, hoisting himself up with the momentum. Takumi followed suit and jumped, but doubted himself to make it over. Sukai, who already seemed to be aware of that, reached his arm downwards and grabbed onto Takumi’s arm, pulling him up with all his might. Takumi managed to grab onto the top of the wall with Sukai's help, and scrambled to pull himself over as Sukai hopped down on the other side. Takumi followed suit.

Sukai ran a complicated path through the alleyways, probably to lose them if they followed, not stopping until they reached their agency’s van, waiting several streets away. They climbed in panting and the van pulled off at top speed.

“What the hell, Takumi-kun,” Sukai managed between breaths.

“I should say the same, how did you find me?” Takumi sank into the seat of the car, still trying to catch his breath.

Sukai pulled out his phone, showing a red dot flashing on a map. “I’m tracking you.”

Takumi bolted upright, “You what?! What do you mean? My phone is out of battery!”

Sukai pointed down. “I planted a tracker in your shoe.”

“..?! Since when??”

“They day we met, maybe.” Sukai leaned back into his seat, “Seems like it’s good I did, anyway.”

A chuckle came from the driver’s seat. “Takumi, it seems you doubted Sukai’s abilities a little too much, eh?”

Takumi replayed today’s situation back in his head. He sighed. “Thank you…”

Sukai chuckled. “It’s no problem. We’re partners after all.”

_Partners._

Sukai was right. They should be making better use of each other’s strengths to work together on this mission as partners.

"Yeah." 

The two of them were dropped off a fair distance away from the dormitory to walk back. It was late, and the streets were empty. Takumi had taken off his disguise in the van and wore a black cap instead. They walked slowly.

“I wonder why they made us go through this audition route. We can’t even do much from within the premises,” Sukai wrinkled his nose. “Wouldn’t it be easier to send us undercover as CY staff instead?”

“Well, it’s more unsuspecting this way…” Takumi looked down at his feet, “No one would expect someone who worked their ass off for 4 months to debut as an idol, to be a spy, right?”

“I guess…” Sukai mumbled.

“A lot of undercover missions are like this…it can take months, even years to build up a solid cover before executing the mission properly,” Takumi explained. “Well, I’ve never done it before, but that’s what I’ve heard.”

“That’s if I do make it into the final 11 in the first place,” Sukai laughed dryly. He turned to Takumi, “You might be on your own with that. I don’t even know if I can make it past tomorrow’s eliminations.”

Takumi paused. Sukai’s rankings so far remained below 20, whereas Takumi’s had constantly been in the top 11. No matter how much he lamented Sukai’s inexperience, they had still worked together for the past three months, were the only ones who knew each other's secret, and there were times that Sukai did come in handy - especially today when Sukai saved his ass. It would be far more comforting to have his partner along with him in the final group to continue this mission.

“…Don’t worry, we’ll make it happen. We just have to work even harder. Sukai is charming, so I’m sure the national producers will see that.” Takumi nodded.

“Oh?” Sukai’s expression turned smug, “Please say that again.”

Takumi shot him a look of disgust. “Shut up.”


	3. Sense

Eliminations passed, and thankfully both of them made it through to the top 20. Now, they only had one last hurdle to cross – the finals. The two of them were on the same team for once, after being kicked to the Grandmaster song team instead. Up till the day of the finals, the two of them practiced the hardest that they could.

Eventually, the day of truth came. The trainees gathered at the performance venue in the afternoon to prepare. Takumi tugged at the straps of his knapsack, nervous for the final performance. Sukai who was standing at the back of the group, noticed a tall and stocky man enter the venue. Sukai recognised the man as one of the managing directors of CY’s Tokyo office. The man had a smile on his face, but his eyes were a dull grey and looked soulless. The man said a few words of encouragement to the trainees before the staff instructed them to head off to the dressing room to get ready. 

In the dressing room, the trainees were all dispersed, each getting into their outfits and having the stylists help them with their hair and makeup. Noticing that there were no available stylists at the moment, Takumi walked over to a corner and set his knapsack down on the table. He jumped in surprise as someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around and saw the director standing before him.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you, I’m just checking in with each trainee,” The older man smiled, wrinkles forming around his eyes. “You’re not getting ready yet?”

“Ah, there aren’t any available stylists right now…” Takumi nodded politely.

The director chuckled, “I see! Well, with your level of visuals you already look great without styling.”

“T-thank you…”

The director wrinkled his nose. “Hm? That’s an oddly familiar scent…is that perfume?” 

“Perfume? Wha-” The gears clicked in Takumi’s head. 

_His knapsack_

The perfume smell from the truck was so overpowering that his clothes smelled like it. Of course, he properly washed it out of his clothing, but his knapsack was another story. It’s been over a week, but the smell was still faintly present. Though, Takumi got used to the smell and didn’t take notice of it anymore. 

“Doesn’t this perfume smell nice?” Sukai interjected from behind. He smiled at the director, “I enjoy collecting perfume…I have over 10 bottles! So, I sprayed some of this on Takumi-kun earlier. I think it suits him!”

Takumi stared at Sukai. What was Sukai doing? The last thing he wanted was the two of them to be linked together – it would make it even more suspicious if they were discovered to be lying.

The director’s smile didn’t leave his face, “Oh? What perfume might that be?”

Sukai reached into his own knapsack and pulled out a bottle of perfume. “It’s this one, would you like to have a smell?” Sukai sprayed a little on his wrist, and Takumi was baffled that it was indeed the exact same perfume that was in the truck.

“Ohoho! You’re right! Now I remember why it smells familiar…many of our celebrities use this one too,” the director laughed. “It must be popular these days.” He nodded, “Well, I’ll leave you two be now.”

The two of them watched the director walk off to talk to other trainees. Takumi turned to look at Sukai, who simply raised his eyebrow. “I collect perfume, don’t you know that?” Sukai put the bottle back into his knapsack. “Also, I have a very good sense of smell.”

This boy is seriously a fox, Takumi thought.

The rest of the evening passed in a flash. The performances went well, aside from a small hiccup where Sukai bumped into Minato, but it was all good as they managed to conceal it. Before the trainees knew it, they were standing on a raised stage to await the final ranking results. The air was tense, and everyone had a serious face on.

Sukai was called first, as the 10th seat of JO1. Sukai nearly couldn’t believe his ears. The first time he was a part of the top 11 was during the most important time. He made it in. The trainees cheered and surrounded an emotional Sukai, congratulating him on making it in. Takumi simply clapped, watching from the side. He believed it would happen, after all. He wasn’t surprised. 

The ranking announcement continued, with several unexpected results. Anything could happen. What if Takumi didn’t get called? Takumi tensed up, clasping his hands in front him. Sukai watched from his seat up in the pyramid, praying Takumi would be called soon, just to ease the anxiety of the whole situation. 

Finally, at the third rank, Takumi’s name was called. Everyone cheered and the trainees surrounded Takumi this time. From his position, Takumi glanced at Sukai, who was clapping and gave him a brief nod. Takumi returned the nod. They’ve made it. The mission continues – with the both of them.

* * *

The next few months were busy. JO1 was immediately involved with all sorts of promotions that were promised from the audition program. Also, to prepare for their debut single, they were flown to Korea to undergo training – an unexpected element in their plans. Their mission was put on halt temporarily, and Sukai and Takumi focused on making the group’s debut a success – after all, after spending over 4 months with the trainees, they both knew how much this meant for everyone and wanted the group to be successful. They both decided that they will be carrying out the mission while being equally as dedicated to the group, even if it kills them. Perhaps, somewhere along the way, they saw the joy of being an idol as well.

After a few months filled with practice and forming stronger bonds as a team, JO1’s debut single ‘Protostar’ was finally released. The team was excited at the mark of their first major milestone, but Sukai and Takumi knew it meant it was time to pick up from where they left off.

The world was in a tough situation – a global pandemic. JO1’s activities were also forced to slow down due to the stay-home and social distancing period. But Sukai and Takumi saw this as a chance to have more time to carry out their mission. 

Which brings them back to them in the present – standing by the roadside trying to flag a taxi back to their dorm, Sukai clutching the flash drive in his pocket. It was the first time that they infiltrated the CY building. Due to the stay-home situation, the office was mostly empty, aside from a few key staff who required office facilities, and some of the higher-management. This would make their job significantly smoother.

Finally, they got a taxi and soon arrived back at their dorm. Takumi silently snuck back into his room while Sukai got chided by Naoto for taking so long, before proceeding with some work-related discussions with him. 

Takumi locked his room door behind him. He was always careful about this and never let anyone step into his room. He took out his laptop and plugged in the flash drive which Sukai handed to him in the taxi. His laptop took a short moment to read the drive. The file directory popped up, showing a bunch of csv files. He opened the first one, and the next, and the next again. All of them were the same – they were just spreadsheets of names. There were thousands of them. Different names had a different coloured mark in the next column – red, green, blue, or no mark. Takumi noted that they were careful not to be explicit about what the markings meant. 

He scrolled through the names. None of them particularly caught his eye. He tried doing a google search on a few, but nothing more than a bunch of personal social media profiles came up. The names appeared random – they weren’t well known people or anything. Why would the director be holding on to such information, anyway? Also, why wasn’t there any other type of data? Sukai should have swiped everything available from the director’s laptop. It could only mean that they were very careful not to store too much sensitive data directly on the laptop. Were they expecting someone to come for the data? Or were they just paranoid in general?

Takumi suddenly recalled that night 3 months ago, when he was stuck in the truck and they almost got caught by CY staff. That’s right, CY Group knew there was someone on their tail. Takumi was sure the two of their faces weren’t seen at night, plus they were disguised as well. If they really were recognised, there would be no way that Sukai and Takumi would be there in JO1. Takumi reassured himself and tried to calm his mind. The rows and rows of names made Takumi’s head swirl. He closed the files, zipped them up and sent it through their agency’s cloud server. Maybe intelligence could figure out a pattern instead. 

Takumi heard a door close from below. The walls were thin, and Takumi’s ears were sharp. It was probably Sukai leaving the meeting room. Takumi unlocked his door and peeked down the railings. Sukai looked up at Takumi. Takumi simply shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t figure out the data. Sukai nodded, expressionless. 

“Good night, Takumi-kun,” Sukai called out.

Takumi paused for a moment before returning it, “…Good night, Sukai.”

It was going to be fine. The two of them will get to the bottom of this together. For the sake of JO1 as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This explains why IRL Takumi knows Sukai has a lot of perfume (Tokyo Virtual Runway Live) and why Takumi never lets anyone into his room sdjskdhs


	4. Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: possibly slightly unsettling scene (nothing involving people though)

“Party??” Takumi blurted out, louder than he had intended. Everyone turned to look at him.

“You seem enthusiastic,” Ruki joked. 

Their group leader, Yonashiro Sho, was just informing them about the upcoming party they were invited to, hosted by none other than the CY Group. 

“Is something wrong, Takumi?” Sho’s eyebrows knotted into a worried expression. 

“N-no… It’s just… the current pandemic situation… social distancing…” Takumi uttered, not forming a comprehensible sentence. 

“Apparently, they are keeping the number of guests small, and will be following health precautions. They will be holding it at that famous convention hall owned by CY, which is pretty huge, so if the number of guests are limited, safe distancing should be alright, I think?” Sho nodded thoughtfully, scrolling through the details on his phone. “Also, it’s a private event, so it will not be filmed or broadcasted anywhere.”

“If that’s the case, is there really a need to hold a party during this period?” Sukai interjected.

Sho scratched his head, “Well…we’re not really in any position to decline…”

“Let’s just treat it as free food!” Syoya chimed in. “…A party means food, right?”

The members laughed and began chatting excitedly about being invited to a party with other celebrities. But both Sukai and Takumi knew there was something off about this.

* * *

It was the night of the party. The members of JO1 were dressed in simple black suits, which stirred both excitement and nervousness among them due to how official it felt. They filed into the large hall, after completing their mandatory temperature checks. Takumi noticed as Sukai accidentally stumbled into one of the staff upon entering. Sukai apologised profusely. Was Sukai nervous as well? Takumi wondered.

The hall was brightly lit and was converted into a banquet hall, with a stage and a projector screen at the front. There were 8 large tables placed a fair distance away from each other. JO1 sat down at the table furthest from the stage. They noticed some other celebrities – actors, actresses and singers. Similar to JO1, they were all rising stars, all entering the industry within the past 2 years. 

They were served drinks. Sukai stared at the dark liquid in his glass. He took a sip. It was just a mocktail. Perhaps it tasted too refined for him, but whatever the case, he didn’t like it. He set the glass back on the table. He wished for a can of his usual Monster energy drink instead. He noted that Takumi, from across the table, also left the drink untouched after a sip. 

The lights of the room dimmed and the CEO of CY Group stepped onstage. 

“Thank you everyone for gathering here today despite the terrible situation going on. Today, I would like to take the time to congratulate each and every one of you for the amazing results you have produced thus far,” Okada CEO beamed. He waved his hand, prompting the slideshow on the screen, showcasing the various achievements of each celebrity present, including JO1. At each slide, everyone in the room clapped politely.

The slideshow ended after a while, and the lights turned back on. Okada CEO put his hands together. “Well then, please enjoy your dinner tonight.” Everyone clapped one last time as the CEO walked down the stage.

 _Is that it?_ Takumi thought, as a waiter placed an appetizer in front of him. From the corner of his eye, Takumi noticed Sukai excuse himself from the table and watched as Sukai quietly slipped out of the hall. Did he go to the restroom? …No… Sukai must have seen or sensed something. Takumi knew Sukai had a strong sense of intuition. 

Takumi pushed around the food on his plate, wasting time to avoid suspicion of both of them leaving the table together. After counting to 200, he stood up. “I’m going to head to the restroom…” Takumi hoped no one would follow as he scooted out of the hall. 

The hallway Takumi stepped into was empty. He wondered if Sukai really did go to the restroom after all. Takumi walked in the direction of the restroom while casually looking around. He noted that there was only one camera for the main corridor. He turned a corner, where the restroom and elevators were tucked away. Just on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Sukai that simply read _’B’_. Takumi looked up. He saw the lift was parked at ‘B’ – the basement. 

Takumi took the stairs down, being careful to check for cameras as he went. Sukai was standing there in the basement stairwell, waiting for him. 

“I saw some staff usher one of the actresses – Ishida Yuko – down here,” Sukai said quietly.

Takumi’s eyes widened slightly, “But why?”

“Isn’t that what we are supposed to find out, Takumi-kun.” 

Takumi silently pressed the button on his phone in his pocket, overriding the camera footage of the corridor. He nodded at Sukai. Sukai carefully opened the door and peered out. The coast was clear. They quietly stepped out into the T-shaped corridor. They turned towards the top of the T and were faced with several sturdy wooden doors, looking identical. Takumi looked at Sukai, who shook his head. He had seen which floor they had went to from the lift display, but he didn’t see where they went after that. 

Takumi leaned close to the doors to check for a sound, but they appeared to be soundproofed. Just as Takumi thought they hit a dead end and ought to return back to the hall, Sukai signalled to Takumi. Sukai had walked to the end of the corridor and noticed another narrow corridor. There wasn’t any light in this corridor, and it couldn’t be seen from where Takumi was standing. 

At the end of the corridor the noticed a small panel of light – an electronic lock. They carefully walked down the corridor and reached the end of it. Takumi gazed at the electronic lock, it had a number pad and also a card reader. There was a tiny red light on top of it, indicating that it was locked.

“If we try anything funny I’m sure the internal alarms will go off… I don’t think there’s anything we can d-“

 _Ka-chak._

Without a word, Sukai slid a card down the reader. The lock gave a soft beep and the light turned green. Takumi stared at Sukai as he waved the key card. From earlier! Sukai must have frisked the staff when they accidentally bumped into each other. Or rather, when Sukai intentionally bumped into him.

Takumi reached into his pocket once again to attempt to disable any cameras, but his phone didn’t have any response. He then realised that there were no cameras within the area ahead of them. Whatever was inside, CY didn’t want to risk having any footage or video evidence of it.

They slipped through the doors and down a flight of stairs. So there was another basement that the outside world doesn’t know of. Why would there be a secret basement below a convention center, anyway? 

This basement looked completely different from the rest of the convention center. It was long and decently wide corridor with several steel doors on each side. The area was completely white, with white walls, white floor tiles, and white light. Even though it was bright, there was an eerie feeling. It looked like a scene out of a sci-fi movie. Or a mental hospital. Takumi shuddered.

Sukai continued down the corridor boldly and Takumi followed behind. There weren’t any windows so they couldn’t tell what was behind the doors. 

Just then, they heard a sound. Human sounds – talking and footsteps – coming from the end of the corridor. They had walked too far to make a run for the entrance they came from, but the sounds were coming closer. In just a few seconds, whoever it was would turn the corner and see the two of them, in no disguise, and it would be all over – not just their mission, but possibly JO1 as well. Sukai grabbed the handle of the nearest door and pushed it, without having time to worry about whether the door might be locked, or if there would be people behind this door as well. It wasn’t locked. Sukai and Takumi stumbled through the door and shut it. However, they weren’t alone.

A man was back-facing them, and upon hearing someone enter he started to turn around. “Wh-“

_Thwack!_

_Thud._

Takumi didn’t even have time to react as Sukai swiftly landed a roundhouse kick, striking the back of the man’s neck and knocking him out before he could see the two of them. The man slumped onto the ground, unconscious.

“Sukai…”

Sukai shrugged, “Did you have a better idea?”

Takumi didn’t. He looked around the room, trying his best to ignore the unconscious man. Sukai, however, bent down to search the man’s coat pockets. The room wasn’t large but had a few computers and some other high-tech equipment that Takumi couldn’t understand. But none of the machines were switched on, the man had probably only just arrived. Takumi searched for any documents or flash drives lying around but couldn’t find anything of importance that wasn’t locked away. They were careful after all.

There was another door on the other end of the room, similar to the one they came in from. Takumi signalled for Sukai to come over, before taking a breath and opening it.

Takumi and Sukai stood there, speechless, as they tried to process what they were seeing. It was a large room, lined with rows and rows of chairs. But not regular chairs – these chairs vaguely resembled electric chairs, but they looked slightly modified. There were syringes connected to vials of liquid by tubes running round the back. The room was empty and clean, but they could almost picture what went on there before. The scene before them was so bizarre that it didn’t even feel real.

Takumi felt his stomach lurch. The strong smell of antiseptic just made his nausea even worse. Even Sukai couldn’t maintain his poker-face and panic filled his expression. When Sukai first joined the mission, he thought this job was cool, exciting even. But now he realised just what he had really gotten himself involved with. Takumi could barely keep his hands from trembling as he fumbled for his phone to take a picture, trying to remind himself what he was there for.

There were so many questions left to be answered – What are the chairs for? Who are they being used on? Why do they need so many? What were in the vials? 

Takumi tugged at Sukai’s sleeve, “Let’s get out of here…I feel sick. Also, they’re gonna realise we’re gone for so long.” Sukai nodded.

They quickly shut the door and left the room. Thankfully, whoever was at the corridor was now gone, and they sprinted back towards the exit and back to the first floor. They caught their breath before heading back to the hall, trying to pretend that nothing happened. 

They had been gone a good fifteen or twenty minutes, but Takumi hoped no one would think anything strange about it. Thankfully, the CEO was still deep in conversation with some of the other celebrities and the staff in general didn’t seem to be paying much attention to JO1’s table at the back. It appeared that JO1 wasn’t the main target of today’s event, they were just there as ‘decorations’, to make the event seem more real and avoid suspicion towards what was actually happening. Takumi was glad that was the case, though. They were safe – for now.

“The both of you are slow!” Junki exclaimed as the two of them sat back down.

“Sorry…my stomach wasn’t feeling too good…” After seeing the scene from earlier, it wasn’t a lie. “The same for Sukai, so we took a short walk to get some fresh air. It must be the lunch we had…” 

“You both missed the first two courses, so we ate it…” Syoya adds sheepishly between mouthfuls.

Takumi nodded. “It’s okay. I’m not very hungry anyway.”

“Don’t push yourselves,” Sho smiled kindly, “But it’s a party after all, so at least try to enjoy a little.”

“Party…” Takumi mumbled.

Sukai noticed that the actress who he had seen being escorted out of the hall, returned back after another 10 minutes. Perhaps they were just having a business conversation after all? …No… he had seen what was in the basement. There was definitely something more sinister…no… _psychotic_ happening. If not for Takumi’s uncomfortable expression from across the table, Sukai might have thought what he had seen earlier was all just an illusion.


	5. News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: death mention (not any main/real characters)

Takumi plodded up their company van, still bleary eyed and half asleep. It was around 7.50am and JO1 had a morning shoot. Takumi settled into a seat in the third row, next to Shosei who looked equally as sleepy. Most of the members were on the bus, but Sukai was late as usual. He was awful at waking up in the mornings.

Takumi felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and peeked at the notification on the lock screen. The sender read ‘Father’. But not Takumi’s real father – it was an alias for messages that comes in from the agency. Takumi’s own father was listed as “お父さん” (dad) on his contacts, while the agency was as “父” (father). 

Takumi turned to look at Shosei. He had dozed off – his blonde head leaning against the window. Everyone else was also sleeping or minding their own business. Takumi unlocked his phone and clicked into the message.

The message was not something Takumi was prepared for. Takumi clutched the handle of the seat in front of him. Suddenly the sounds of the van’s engines were drowned out and all Takumi could hear was his own breathing and his heartbeat ringing in his ears. A feeling of nausea crept up even though the van hadn’t even started moving yet.

Takumi was suddenly brought back to reality with the last member hurrying up onto the van. Sukai. He was flustered and pale as a sheet, his unstyled brown hair falling over his eyes. Takumi knew he had saw the message too when the two of them exchanged a brief look as Sukai headed to an empty seat at the back and sat down.

Takumi leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes. Surely, before the end of the day, the news would reach their manager and the rest of the members, and everyone would be in a state of unrest. Until then, Takumi wanted to forget what he had just read, so that he could focus on the shoot ahead.

* * *

The shoot ended smoothly several hours later, and everyone was laughing and chatting happily in the dressing room. Takumi and Sukai remained rather silent, but that wasn’t too unusual for the both of them from the members’ perspective. Sometimes they could be silly and noisy, but other times they would simply quietly observe the happenings from the side instead. It was only when JO1 noticed several staff whispering amongst themselves with a solemn atmosphere, did they feel like something was amiss. Their manager, Naoto, quietly got everyone to return to the van after having their bentos before breaking the news to them.

“What happened?” Ruki was the first to speak.

Naoto scratched his head, searching for the words to phrase everything as best as he could. “Ishida Yuko, the actress. I think you all met her briefly at the party 3 weeks ago? Well…she…” Naoto cleared his throat. “It seems she passed away last night. Her manager found her in her apartment this morning… They are still investigating but it seems they are pretty close to ruling it as a suicide...It’s all over the news now.” 

No one spoke. No one knew what to say. Takumi closed his eyes. It was real. Sukai, who was sitting at the back, simply looked away.

“No way…” Shion finally broke the silence. 

“That’s terrible…” Ren added. Everyone just glumly nodded.

Naoto nodded, solemn. “Everyone…it’s important to take care of your physical as well as mental health… If you have any troubles, remember the members and staff are around to support you. Please do not bottle up any burdens on your own. We are a team.”

The members nodded, feeling thankful for their manager. “You as well, Naoto-san,” Sho tapped Naoto’s elbow lightly, “We all know you work harder than anyone. Take care of yourself as well.”

Takumi glanced backwards towards Sukai, who was staring down at his lap, deep in thought. Takumi was pretty sure both of them had the same thought, different from the rest of them. Was it too much of a coincidence that Ishida Yuko was escorted away during the party for a good half an hour – in the same building where they found what looked like a laboratory or experiment zone – and three weeks later she was found dead? Takumi was pretty sure it would simply be ruled as a suicide – Japan very seldom does autopsies, and if they don’t detect any foul play externally (on the body or in the apartment), they would just declare it a suicide, and it would be left at that. Homicide, if planned carefully, could be disguised well. Takumi could feel a shiver run up his spine as that thought crossed him.

But unlike the way Naoto conveyed the message to them, full of kindness and concern, the message that the agency sent Takumi and Sukai was cold, with a single word after the news – “Investigate.” There was no time for them to let their emotions get the better of them, they had to find out what was going on, and fast. Who knows how many victims there might already have been.

* * *

_Knock knock._

Sukai opened his door. Takumi was standing there in a blue hoodie and grey pants, the light from the full moon highlighting his pink hair, still damp from his bath. There was a subtle scent of honey, which Sukai recognised as the shampoo his own family had gifted to the members. “Can I?” Takumi gestured to Sukai’s room. Sukai nodded.

Takumi chose a spot on the floor in front of the coffee table and sat down cross-legged. Sukai followed suit. There was a moment of awkward silence. 

“…How are you..? I mean…” Takumi mumbled, “With everything that happened so far…” Takumi felt some sense of responsibility, not just as a spy senior, but also as an older member in general. He hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to Sukai much since the party, but he noticed that Sukai was goofing around less than usual during practice ever since. Just like Naoto said, team members should rely on each other during tough times. And the two of them as partners, even more so. But Takumi was half-afraid that Sukai would say that he doesn’t want to do this anymore.

Sukai hesitated, clearly not used to Takumi acting like an older brother. From an outsider’s point of view, Sukai looked like the older one. Sukai looked down, “I don’t know…”

Takumi nodded slowly, “This must be really overwhelming for you, especially being your first assigned job.” Takumi paused. “Well…Even for me it’s a lot to take in…I’ve never handled something of this level before either. To be honest, I’m scared.”

Sukai looked at Takumi. “Takumi-kun, why did you decide to take up this job?”

Takumi was surprised at the question. “Why do you ask?”

Sukai titled his head to the side and looked away, “Well… you don’t seem like the most fearless person I know…”

“Hey!” Takumi huffed. There was some truth to it, though. Even though Takumi acted more exaggeratedly afraid in front of the members, it was true that he didn’t like scary things. “Well…” Takumi played with the sleeves of his hoodie, “After I graduated from high school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do…I love baseball but making it a career is quite tough as well. Then I got offered this position, and it seemed kind of cool, I guess. Just like that, I’ve been working there for around two years now.”

Sukai nodded, “That’s the same as me, then. I was just doing construction work, nothing solid. As if I was waiting for something to happen. Then the offer came, I thought it would fit me, so I accepted right away. I did not expect…this.” 

“Yeah… But right now, a lot of people may be in danger, including JO1. And we are the only ones who can do something about it. That…I don’t want to let it happen to anyone else.” Takumi gripped his phone in his hand. “Sukai has a strong sense of justice, so I’m sure you feel the same.”

“What will happen to us after this all ends?”

Takumi blinked, “Sorry?” Somehow, the thought never crossed him. In previous undercover missions, he would just carry out the role, and once it was done, he would return to other duties as per normal without question. But now, life as an idol had become a norm for him – dance and vocal lessons, attending shoots, performing, communicating with fans, and being with the members of JO1. He had to remind himself that being a spy was his primary job, and JO1 was just a secondary result of that, not the other way around. 

“Let’s talk about that again after we put an end to everything,” Takumi smiled sadly and brushed Sukai’s question aside. Takumi stood up to leave, “Well, I won’t disturb you. You should get rest; it’s been a long day. Let me know if you need anything.” Takumi made his way towards the door.

“…Ishida Yuko… She wouldn’t have killed herself.” Sukai stood up and Takumi turned around. “She has a lot of fans and supporters…On her social media she also often posts about her family and friends. She looked happy. Even the statements from her family and friends say she was always cheerful and they can’t imagine her doing that-“

“You can’t believe everything you see online,” Takumi cut Sukai off. “Even people who appear happy have scars,” He gave a sad smile. “But I agree with you. I don’t think it’s something so straightforward as suicide. So…let’s work hard together to find out what it is.” Takumi extended his arm towards Sukai, “I look forward to continue working with you.”

Sukai paused for a moment, before slowly reaching out to shake Takumi’s hand. “…Yeah,” he said softly.

Takumi left Sukai’s room quietly and headed up the stairs back to his own room on the third floor. 

“Hm? Takumi..?” Ren was heading up to his own room on the second floor, after finishing up his gaming session at Sho’s room on the first floor, as he briefly saw Takumi head up. Ren heard a door close quietly above him. Ren thought it was slightly odd for Takumi to be on the second floor, but just shrugged it off and returned to his own room.


	6. Concert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning. Avoid if you're weak against potentially disturbing themes

“Sukai, look, there’s this concert in two weeks...” It was well past 1am and Takumi was sitting on the wooden floor of Sukai’s room - their usual rendezvous location for discussing mission-related things. 

Sukai glanced over to the phone screen that Takumi was showing him. “What, are you inviting me on a concert date?” Sukai chucked.

Takumi shot a glare at Sukai and hissed, “Be serious!” 

“Okay, okay, sorry~” Sukai said softly in a sing-song tone. Despite his poker-face, he tended to be mischievous. “They really don’t care about the pandemic situation huh.” Sukai couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at the country’s lack of care towards the situation. “So, is there something about this concert?” Sukai took the phone from Takumi and scrolled through the details. “Ah, it’s this girl idol group under CY Group. And the location…is at _that_ convention hall.” 

Takumi nodded. 

“Do you think there will be something?”

“Recall. Way back, during the audition. When we bugged the CEO. He said something about the fans being important, right?” Takumi retrieved his phone from Sukai. “So maybe it’s time for us to become a fan. It’s during our weekend off too, so it’s a perfect time.”

Sukai perked up. “The list of random names! Do you think it has to do with the fans? In those numbers, it seems possible…” 

Takumi pondered Sukai’s words for a moment. “Maybe…but we can’t tell. Those names could be anything. For all we know, it has nothing to do with the mission.”

Sukai nodded slowly and leaned back against the wall. “Okay. Let’s just attend that concert and see.”

Takumi’s thumbs moved quickly against his phone’s onscreen keyboard. “I’ll get the agency to buy tickets for us under fake names. We also have to properly disguise ourselves on the day.” Takumi stood up and slid his phone into his pocket. 

Sukai imagined themselves dressed in typical idol-otaku fashion and holding King Blade light sticks as Takumi walked towards the door. Takumi gave Sukai a brief nod, “That’s all then. See you tomorrow.”

Takumi closed the door behind him and started towards the stairs. 

“Takumi?” 

Takumi jolted. Ren poked his head out from his own room, next to Sukai’s. _Shit._ Was Ren able to hear their conversation? The apartment walls were thin, so they kept their volumes down while discussing, and since Sukai had the corner unit, they stayed closer to the wall away from Ren’s room. But now he was worried Ren still managed to hear what they spoke about.

“Ren-kun…” Takumi said weakly, “You were awake?”

“Ah, yeah. I heard the door and wondering who it was at this hour.”

“Ummm…I hope we didn’t disturb you…?” Takumi asked, trying to see if Ren heard their conversation or not. 

“Oh, no. I only heard the door.” Ren waved his hand, leaning against the door frame. “I didn’t know you were close with Sukai, you seldom visit other members’ rooms.”

“Ah, no…we have a weekend off in two weeks’ time, right? so I was checking if he was returning to Osaka…since Hyogo is nearby...” Takumi mumbled vaguely. 

Ren nodded, but Takumi could tell he wasn’t convinced. “Well…good night, then.” Takumi put up a hand and slowly moved off, avoiding any further questions. 

“Takumi,” Ren called out. “The 11 of us…we’re a team, yeah? If there’s anything wrong, we’re always here for each other.” Ren gazed at Takumi, his fox-like eyes, so similar to Sukai’s, reading him. 

“Of course,” Takumi managed one of his lopsided smiles before hurrying upstairs. Ren was perceptive as usual. A pair of fox brothers, Sukai and Ren were. Takumi hated sneaking around and lying to the members. He wanted to get this over and done with, so he didn’t need to keep up with the two-faced façade anymore.

* * *

The day of the concert arrived. Both of them left the dorms separately and headed down to the agency to get into their disguises.

Sukai grimaced at the outfit he was put in, totally not his own style – a khaki-coloured flannel over a white graphic t-shirt and baggy green cargo pants. He also had a grey cap. Takumi was in a white hoodie with pink words - apparently old concert merch - and loose jeans, his pink hair hidden under an unkempt black wig. Both their handsome faces were hidden with surgical masks and thick square glasses. 

They made their way to the convention center. They had read up about the idol group and listened to their songs, making sure their cover was perfect. 

It finally reached 6pm and the crowd was let into the convention hall. Sukai and Takumi showed their tickets and fake IDs. The staff vaguely glanced at it, tore their ticket stub, and let them through. The hall was smaller than the one they had their party at, but still of a fair size that could easily fit 1000 people standing. Sukai and Takumi were standing towards the back of the hall, blending in perfectly with the rest of the predominantly male crowd.

Soon, the lights dimmed, and the concert started. Both of them couldn’t help but enjoy the catchy music being blasted. They almost forgot what they were even there for.

Time flew by and it approached the end of the main concert setlist. At the end of the final song where everyone was at the peak of their excitement, there was a pop and confetti flew out from the confetti cannons on the stage. Everyone cheered and the idol group waved as they hurried off-stage. Sukai looked up at the confetti raining down. He furrowed his brow and wrinkled his nose.

“Wait. Down!” Sukai hissed as he yanked the back of Takumi’s hood, pulling him downwards.

The both of them crouched down, with the rest of the crowd paying them no mind. Along with the confetti there was something else – _gas_. It was faint, but there was an acidity that Sukai’s keen sense of smell wouldn’t miss.

They tried to keep themselves close to the ground and held their breath as much as they could to minimise inhaling of the gas. If most of the gas was inhaled by everyone else first, a tiny amount shouldn’t have much effect on them. Everyone else in the room appeared to become more and more excited, as if on a high. A few minutes passed of them crouching there and everyone still continued cheering and laughing. 

Suddenly, there was grinding sound. Takumi could feel himself swaying slightly. Did even a small amount of the gas have an effect after all? Takumi panicked for a brief moment, before realising it wasn’t him that was moving, but the floor. As if on a giant elevator, the entire floor was moving downwards. As they descended to a lower floor, bright lights lit the area and Takumi could feel fresh air flood his surroundings. He finally dared himself to take a gulp of fresh air. 

“Up, up.” Takumi pulled Sukai’s arm as they stood back up, trying to match the rest of the crowd. Sukai looked around him. The cheering and laughing had mostly stopped but everyone was clearly in a very strange state. Their eyes were glazed over, and they had smiles on, as if in a trance. He swore mentally. It must be some sort of brainwashing drug – the kind of things he’s seen only in movies.

The platform soon reached a stop and the ceiling above them closed. They were faced with a familiar looking white room, with white light and metal sliding door panels lining one side of the room. It was the basement area they were at the other day. 

Takumi slid his phone out from his hoodie pocket slightly, glancing at the corner of the screen. He bit the inside of his cheek. There was no reception down in this hidden basement – they couldn’t send a flag for help. Takumi knew there would be a signal if they managed to get to the regular basement floor of the building, since Sukai sent him a text from there during the party. 

There was a crackle and a voice that almost sounded mechanical boomed from overhead speakers.

_”Thank you for your attendance. We greatly appreciate your support for the group. I’m sure you lovely fans would like to help your idols even more. Your cooperation will find us the solution…to make them even better, stronger, and more successful!”_

A cheer resounded from the crowd.

_“Great. Then let’s get started with today’s testing.”_

There was more noises and the metal doors in front of them slid to the side, revealing a room that looked like the one they saw the other day, filled with those strange chairs. There were an incredible number of lab staff in white lab coats standing next to the chairs. 

_’Testing’._ They were doing some sort of human testing. 

At the exit, there were two tall and muscular guards standing by. Sukai and Takumi knew the path out – there would be one more room outside this, after that the corridor, then up the stairs back to the main building area. They just had to find a way to get out.

Suddenly, there was a scream. A man from the crowd in his thirties was going ballistic, shoving through the crowd, demanding to be released. The gas hadn’t taken full effect on him.

 _“Not another one...We will need to run the gas for longer next time. You could have been released if you quietly complied and nothing went wrong with the tests. This is unfortunate. Disposal unit, please.”_ The voice on the speakers muttered.

 _You could have been released if you quietly complied and nothing went wrong with the tests._ Takumi repeated the line in his head. It implied that once the brainwashing drug wore off, one wouldn't remember anything from during their brainwashed state. And also - that something _could_ go wrong with the tests.

Two large men in dark clothing and gloves entered the room – so the door was not locked, a good sign for them. One swiftly drove a taser into the man’s side. The rest of the crowd didn’t react as the man slumped forward. The two men dragged the unconscious man out of the room. Takumi’s mind flashed back to the bloody gloves he found back in the truck and he shuddered. 

Takumi subconsciously reached out for Sukai’s hand – the only source of comfort in the horrendous situation they were in. Sukai gave Takumi’s hand a squeeze back, hand trembling. Despite the calm look in his eyes, Sukai was also absolutely terrified. He could feel sweat roll down his back. At their young ages and lack of experience in the field, there was no way they wouldn’t be scared. They glanced at each other for a split moment. Without any words exchanged between them, they managed to communicate a consensus – If any one of them could escape, they would. To get help from the outside and save the other. If both of them stayed down here, it might be the end of them.

They gave a final squeeze of the palm, before letting go. Getting ready to brace themselves for what might come.

 _“Proceed."_ The voice boomed as the crowd moved forward and lab staffs started to strap them into the chairs and place electrodes on their bodies. Any surgical masks, hats and glasses on the fans were removed as well. Sukai and Takumi would surely get discovered once they sat down on that chair. 

A pale blue liquid flowed through the tubes running behind the chairs, into the syringes. The reactions of the people varied as the substance was injected into their bodies. Some yelled, some convulsed violently in their seats, some didn’t have much reaction and stayed in their trance-like state. The staffs, without a flicker of sympathy in their eyes, simply studied their subject – checking their irises and mouths. They monitored the data on the machines closely and scribbled down notes on their board. All Takumi could guess is that they were being tested in batches – different groups of people were given a slightly different substance. But who knows for what.

The crowd continued moving forward to fill the chairs. It was almost going to be their turns. Takumi tensed up, trying to figure out the best course of action. In that same moment, something clicked in the mind of the younger one next to him. 

Sukai took a breath. He then drove his knee forward with concentrated power, toppling a big-sized man in front of him over. The man flailed onto the floor, in too much of a trance to get himself back on his feet. Sukai stood still, gazing forward like nothing happened. One lab staff sighed and gestured to the guards at the door. The two guards grunted and hurried over to grab the man, worried he might be recovering from the brainwashing drug.

The moment the two guards bent over to seize the man, Sukai leaped. He landed cleanly on the backs of the two guards, the force knocking them to the ground. Sukai sprinted towards and out of the door, a shocked Takumi following behind a split second later. The technicians in the next room stood up in shock as Sukai burst through but none of them could do anything to the karate black belt and fastest runner in JO1. Sukai skilfully maneuvered out of the room and out into the corridor. He spared no time to think as he heard the alarms go off, running as fast as he could towards the stairs, the corridor feeling endless at that moment. He could hear several sets footsteps a distance behind him, and he prayed Takumi was the one immediately after him. Sukai reached the end of the corridor in seconds. 

Takumi, though also a fast runner, still lagged behind Sukai a slight distance. As he watched Sukai disappear up the stairs, he almost smiled in triumph. Sukai was out of the hidden basement area! There would be a mobile reception up there for him to send out an SOS to the agency!

Before Takumi could think any further, a blunt force struck him on the back of the neck.

Takumi’s vision faded to black.


	7. Final Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning. Well if you could read the previous chapters I think it's fine haha

Takumi slowly opened his eyes, the back of his head throbbing. He could taste the iron from blood in his mouth. He jerked forward, in attempt to move, but realised his arms had been tied down to the wooden chair he was in with cable ties. His wig and other face accessories had been removed too. He was in an office, with cream-coloured walls and wooden floorboards, complete with a wooden office desk and black chairs. From the looks of the room, he suspected he was no longer in the hidden basement, but rather, in one of those rooms Sukai and him saw in the regular basement. His vision re-focused and he realised there were people in the room: two men in lab coats, and none other than the director of CY’s Tokyo office – the very man who was appeared wary of the perfume smell on Takumi back during the audition program.

The grey-haired director smiled, which sent a chill down Takumi’s spine. “I’ve been expecting you-”

There was a knock on the door and in came Sukai, seized by two large men dressed in black. Sukai had a gag in his mouth and was kicking about, but helpless against the two larger men, which made Takumi’s heart wrench. 

“-And of course, your friend. The building is locked down, so it was just a matter of time,” the director continued as Sukai was shoved onto a chair, his arms and legs strapped to it with cable ties as well. Sukai struggled but was ultimately stuck. 

“What are you doing? You’ll never get away with this!” Takumi snapped as he kicked his foot outwards, flinging his shoe towards one of the staff. The white Nike shoe tumbled to a corner of the room.

The director glanced at the shoe, disinterested. “This one is feisty too.” He pointed at Takumi’s legs and the men dressed in black strapped his legs down as well. The director gestured at his staff, “Listening devices. Check.”

One of the lab staff took out an electronic device detector and swept it over the two members’ bodies, easily identifying the locations of both Sukai and Takumi’s phones and extra listening devices on them. The devices were confiscated and switched off. 

“Tch,” Takumi clicked his tongue.

“Very good,” the director hummed, eyeing the two boys in satisfaction. The two men dressed in black bowed, left the room, and locked the soundproof door behind them. The director walked over to a cabinet on wheels and pushed it to the side. Behind was a board, tacked with images of Sukai and Takumi – from the time they ran away from the truck, from the time they left the party hall to go to the basement, and some miscellaneous photos of them from their regular activities.

Takumi’s mouth went dry. He had been so careful regarding surveillance, but they still got captured. Had their mission been a failure all along? He squinted. No… the photos didn’t show evidence of what exactly they did, only suspicions of them being on to something.

“I’ve already known the two of you were on my tail, but no matter. Two boys can’t do anything to an operation of this scale.” The director merely shrugged. “However, I didn’t quite expect to find the two of you here today. I would have let the two of you continue your fun and games…sneaking around and finding clues…” he chuckled, “it was almost amusing. But now that you’ve seen everything…I can’t let you leave like this.” 

“So, you’re going to wipe our memories too?” Takumi asked, his eyes travelling to Sukai, who was looking down at his lap, sitting dejected in his chair on the other side of the room. 

The director shook his head sadly, “Unfortunately for you, I can’t. Maybe if you boys had obediently inhaled the drug during the concert, you could just forget everything you saw, and be returned back quietly. But our drug right now doesn’t erase memories you have already seen prior. So…”

Takumi’s mind flashed back to the man being tased and dragged out of the room. “W-what can you do to us?” Takumi threatened, but his voice trembled. “JO1 is a group of 11. You can’t just kill of the two of us like what you did to that actress!”

The director raised his eyebrow. “Ah, Ishida Yuko… another unfortunate one…she refused to comply with us. Well…a long story.” 

“What is it you’re planning to do? You’re brainwashing your celebrities to brainwash their fans…? So that you can make more drugs?”

The director laughed, “Animal testing has been going on for centuries…for the sake of science and research! What we’re doing here is the same – except human testing will be even more accurate and reliable. Most will make it, with varying degrees of side effects – but mostly so minor they will barely know the difference when they return back to their daily lives. Those that don’t make it…such is life. We can easily cover things up.” The director shrugged nonchalantly. “Animals and humans are equally living beings, are they not? Then in terms of ethics there’s no difference.”

Takumi was baffled, not knowing how to respond to that. Both were equally as cruel and inhumane. “…What are you trying to test and make?” Takumi probed.

“Say, Kawanishi-kun. Don’t you feel exhausted? Juggling idol life, alongside your ‘spy’ games.” The director furrowed his brow, as if he were pitying Takumi. “With this new…medicine…we could solve all that! There would be no need to waste time on ‘rest’ – we could be productive 24/7, isn’t that amazing?” The director’s eyes twinkled, looking incredibly proud of himself.

Takumi cringed. “…You just want that for your own benefits. You want your celebrities to work 24/7 so they can churn even more revenue for you. Even if I had the energy to work 24/7, I wouldn’t. There are many other things I enjoy in my life too.” Takumi recalled JO1 game nights, where the boys stayed up playing Mario Kart or Werewolf in Sho or Ren’s rooms. Chatting till late about their dreams and their lives, enjoying each other’s company. There was so much more to life than ‘productivity’. He ached to be with the members right at that moment.

The director stared at Takumi with his glassy grey eyes, and Takumi almost wondered for a moment if he was brainwashed too. “I see it as a win-win situation. Well, I don’t expect everyone can appreciate genius. With the resources available for our testing, we can come up with all sorts of medicine that are safely consumable.”

“…At the expense of tens of thousands of others…” Takumi muttered.

The director ignored him and turned to his staff and Sukai. “Now, how shall we get rid of the two of you…” He gestured and the staff removed Sukai’s mouth gag, finally allowing him to talk. 

“There’s no way you can!” Sukai immediately yelled, in a far more agitated state than the pink-haired boy. “Even if you do kill us, it’ll be far too suspicious! Everyone will know something is up…they’ll be on to you!” 

“CY is far more powerful and connected than you can imagine,” the director waved his hand dismissively. “We could easily put the two of you and any other experiment defects on a shinkansen to Osaka, simulate a crash or something…Everyone gone in one shot” he snapped a finger, which made Takumi flinch. “There won’t be a shred of evidence against us. Your spy agency might have images of the empty labs you got during the party, but none of that attributes to anything. This is our premises. We can easily conceal everything if we want.” 

The director walked back and forth between Takumi and Sukai. “But the real way the two of you die… let’s make it more interesting…” he smiled cruelly and waved a hand. One of the lab staff placed a silver briefcase on the table and released the clasps, opening it. Inside were a row of syringes. “I will let you see how the brainwashing drug works. I can easily get anyone to do my bidding. Including…the termination of someone else. Let’s see how one of you live it down knowing you killed your partner?” 

The two boys stared in horror. The man was crazy and without an ounce of remorse. Well, only a psychopath would think of using fans attending a concert to conduct his experiments on…but brainwashing people to kill? It meant he could as easily turn that basement of fans into brainwashed killers. He was literally powerful enough to destroy the whole city. 

Sukai jolted his body forward in futile attempt to break free of the cables, spewing words of anger at the director and lab staff, who didn’t so much as bat an eyelid.

“This will be the one we’re injecting then,” the director pointed at a growling Sukai. “If he’s this riled up with all that energy, it will be easy for him to get rid of the other one.”

“No!” Takumi yelled, his pulse increasing and throat tightening. Sukai continued writhing in his seat as the lab staff injected the drug into the vein at Sukai’s neck, since his arms were tied behind him.

Sukai shouted, tears forming in his eyes. He continued his struggle for a few minutes, as he tried to fight the effects of the drug. “Sukai...!” Takumi’s mind was screaming but his voice barely came out as a whisper.

Suddenly, Sukai dropped his head down, his chest heaving. He slowly raised his head again, looking straight, with the poker-face that Takumi was all too familiar with. But this time it was different. A single tear slid down Sukai’s face and he stared ahead with a frosted-over look, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. 

The director gave a clap. “It’s complete,” he announced. “Remove the cable ties.” The lab staff obediently cut the cable ties around Sukai’s arms and legs. 

The director stood behind and patted Takumi’s shoulders, which made Takumi flinch once again. “It’s time for you to get rid of your pink-haired friend. I’ve seen your strength; I know you can easily take out someone.”

Sukai slowly stood up from his seat, fists clenched. A small laugh escaped his lips, which eventually led to a loud bellow, his fangs baring when he smiled. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were fixed on Takumi.

“Sukai…! No!! Please, fight the drug! I know you can! It’s me, Takumi!” Takumi’s eyes widened in fear as he screamed at the younger boy walking unsteadily towards him. “Sukai!! S-Sukai!!!”

The director shook his head, “Unlike the gas, this is injected straight to his bloodstream. There’s no way to avoid the effects.”

Sukai let loose a final cackle as he pulled his fist backwards. Takumi squeezed his eyes shut as he braced for the impact.

Takumi heard the sound of Sukai’s fist connecting with flesh and bone, but he didn’t feel anything. Takumi opened his eyes to find Sukai’s body inches away from his face, leaning over him to drive a solid punch into the director’s jaw, sending him flying backwards. 

The lab staff panicked for a moment before attempting to call for reinforcements, but Sukai practically flew across to their side of the room, swiftly knocking the devices from their hands and driving a kick to the back of their necks, knocking them unconscious easily. 

The director, though a senior man, had much more tenacity. Takumi heard him growl as he stood up behind him. To buy Sukai some time till he could get back to that side of the room, Takumi threw himself forward, together with the chair he was tied to. Takumi yelled in pain as his own knees hit the floor hard, but the wooden legs of the chair did its job and struck the legs of the director, causing him to lose balance for a second.

Sukai proceeded to deliver a punch in the director’s stomach, another chop to the side of the neck, and kicking him onto the floor. He snatched the extra cable ties lying on the table and tied the director’s arms and legs together, leaving him lying on his side. 

Sukai grabbed the cutters and clipped open Takumi’s cable ties. Takumi tumbled onto the floor, free from the chair. Sukai rolled over to the side and leaned against the chair, panting hard, sweat dripping down his forehead and neck. 

“Sukai…how…?” Takumi started.

Sukai wiped his sweat with the back of his sleeve and threw something down on the ground. Takumi watched an empty syringe clatter onto the floor.

“A…antidote…” Sukai managed between gasps of air. “From the party… in the basement… I knocked out that lab guy in the room… I was checking through his coat…” Takumi suddenly remembered Sukai checking through the possessions of unconscious man while Takumi went to look at the other room. Perhaps the lab staff carried that around secretly because they were similarly being brainwashed to help with the experiments.

Before arriving to the concert venue, Sukai had put the antidote into a syringe he swiped from the agency lab. Sukai had kept the syringe hidden in his sleeve, and when he was injected with the brainwashing drug, he simultaneously injected the antidote into his own arm, which was in the blind spot of everyone.

“You should have given evidence to the agency,” Takumi frowned.

“Figured we might need it more,” Sukai shrugged.

“What if it wasn’t actually an antidote?” Takumi got up to his feet and extended a hand to Sukai.

“Worth a shot at that point.” Sukai gratefully accepted Takumi’s hand and Takumi pulled Sukai to his feet. 

The director stirred from where he lay as he gained consciousness. He eyes flickered open, blood rolling down the corner of his lips. “…Y-you still have no evidence. There’s no trace of our conversation earlier, your spy backup wouldn’t dare break into our compound without evidence. The moment you try to leave you will be seized by the guards. There was never a way out for the two of you,” he laughed dryly.

“Is that so?” Takumi walked over to the corner of the room, where his single Nike shoe lay forgotten. He picked it up and pulled out a listening device, wedged deep in the shoe. Takumi kicked off the shoe before they were swept of any devices, so it went under the radar. But the entire conversation so far had been broadcasted to their agency in real-time. Sukai also managed to ping the agency once he exited the hidden basement, so backup had already started to set off toward their location at that time. All their backup needed was the concrete evidence for them to break into the building - which Sukai and Takumi had just given them. They were sure that their backup – agents, police, and medical staff included – would be making their way down any moment now. 

The director’s expression grew dark and his smile faded. He clicked his tongue, “If CY is going down, you’re going down with us.” With all his remaining energy, he jerked his body and slammed it on the ground, pushing down on the talking device in his breast pocket. “Guards! Don’t let Kawanishi Takumi and Kinjo Sukai leave alive!” he barked. 

In a matter of seconds, 4 big sized guards burst into the room, surrounding them. 

“Goodbye, Kawanishi Takumi, Kinjo Sukai,” he spat, eyes filled with rage.

Takumi winced from the pain at the back of his head, from the blow he received in the basement. He glanced at Sukai, who was clearly also worn out from earlier. Taking two drugs at once was surely not good for his system either. In their current state they couldn’t take out these 4 burly guards – unlike the lab staff earlier who were weaker and clearly not made for physical activity. They just had to buy enough time for backup – maybe just a few minutes. 

With all his might, Takumi picked up the wooden chair and swung it towards the guards like a baseball bat, causing them to stumble into each other for a short moment. Takumi leapt at the silver briefcase on the table, grabbing a syringe with each hand, and drove them into two of the guards. They yelled and took an involuntary step backwards, while the other two grabbed Takumi’s small frame. Sukai, though too weak to fight, managed to stagger after Takumi, grabbing the remaining two syringes in the case and stabbing it into the other two guards. They reeled and released Takumi, and the two off them shoved past the guards, dashing out of the room as fast as their tired bodies could. 

They clambered up the stairs, with voices shouting after them. They burst into the hallway of the first floor, disheveled, welcoming the sight of their backup running towards them. Both of them collapsed onto the carpeted floor in relief and exhaustion, with dozens of police and agents running past them and down to the basement. Ahead of them, they saw the shattered glass doors of the convention hall, knowing that the conversation recording they managed to get gave their backup the confidence to break into the building belonging to the most established and powerful entertainment companies in Japan.

Their boss approached them and knelt on one knee. “Good work,” he said softly. He gestured at medical staff running over with stretchers. “Get them to the hospital checked asap.”

Both of them were placed on stretchers and wheeled off to one of the waiting ambulances.

Takumi glanced at Sukai. He had his eyes closed, a tiny red spot on his neck where he was injected remained. Takumi’s heart wrenched and he bit his lip. They were ultimately safe now, but he couldn’t protect his partner and his member. He wondered how he was going to apologise to and thank Sukai. He closed his own eyes and let himself drift into a deep sleep.


	8. Mission Success (Epilogue)

Takumi woke up with a start. Light was filtering through the sheer curtains of the hospital room. He sat up quickly, trying to re-orientate himself. What time was it? How long had he slept? 

He had a bandage around his head where the back still throbbed slightly, but other than that and a few bruises, he felt fine. He looked around and saw Sukai lying asleep in the next bed, with an IV drip attached to his arm. Takumi’s heart ached.

There was a gentle knock on the door and a nurse entered.

“Kawanishi-san? Your supervisor is filling out the paperwork for your discharge. We’ve done the checks and there’s nothing serious, so you may leave afterwards,” the nurse smiled.

“What about…?” Takumi gestured at Sukai.

The nurse looked down briefly at the clipboard she was holding, “Yes…Kinjo-san. He’s appears fine as well, but we might want to keep him in for another day to ensure there are no side effects of the drugs. But if his tests later go well, he might get discharged afterwards.”

“Okay. Thank you,” Takumi nodded.

The nurse smiled and left the room.

Takumi climbed out of his bed and slipped on the hospital room slippers. He made his way to Sukai and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

“Sukai…I’m sorry….and thanks.”

“…You’re welcome.”

Takumi was startled by the low voice. Sukai glanced at Takumi from where he was lying. 

“What…If you’re awake then say something earlier!” Takumi frowned.

“I just woke up,” Sukai laughed.

“They’ll run more tests on you later. If it goes well, you can get discharged later too.”

“Cool,” Sukai nodded.

“What you did last night was really amazing. If it weren’t for you, I’d either be experimented on or in a crashed shinkansen.” Takumi laughed bitterly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, and you are the one suffering because of me.”

“What are you saying? You were the one who managed to gather all the evidence that saved the whole mission. I wouldn’t have been able to be calm enough to think to do all that,” Sukai nodded. “We’re partners – it’s because of both of us working together that we managed to get the _bad guys_!” Sukai smiled smugly, satisfied that they pulled off a heroic end. 

“But…” Takumi’s eyes trailed to the IV drip.

“This is nothing! I’m not as fragile as you think!” Sukai laughed, pumping his fists in the air.

Takumi reached to steady the metal IV drip stand that was clattering due to Sukai’s sudden movements. “I still can’t believe you injected yourself and managed to hit the right spot.”

“I pull through during a crisis.” Sukai sat up and reached out his free hand towards Takumi. “Mission success,” he declared.

Takumi looked at Sukai’s hand, then reached out to shake it gently. “Mission success,” he echoed.

The door opened abruptly, their boss stepping into the room. "Mission success, indeed," he nodded approvingly, overhearing them. Takumi and Sukai broke the handshake and briefly greeted their boss.

“Well, Kawanishi-kun, I think you’ve heard that you can be discharged. Kinjo-kun, you’ll be discharged soon, no worries.”

Both boys nodded.

“Good job on the mission. All further investigations will be continued on our end with the police, forensics and intelligence. JO1 is lucky they’re under a separate company subsidiary, and not directly under CY, so they can still operate normally,” their boss chuckled. “I’ll arrange for both of you to return back to the agency’s Kansai office tomorrow or the day after. I’ll also get someone to sort out the paperwork to terminate your contracts with your company…they all also have to sign a non-disclosure-”

“Um…!” Takumi interrupted. “I…” he glanced at Sukai, “We…won’t be going back to the Kansai office.”

Their boss raised an eyebrow, “Oh? You prefer to stay in the Tokyo office?”

Takumi shook his head and put his hand on Sukai's shoulder, “I mean...we aren’t going to continue being spies anymore.”

Their boss pursed his lips into a thin line. “Is that what Kinjo-kun wants as well?”

Takumi realised he never asked Sukai and kind of just decided it on his own, but looking at the boy who barely turned 20 lying in a hospital bed was enough for him to decide that Sukai shouldn’t be involved with something this dangerous. 

Sukai was silent for a moment, staring at the edge of the bed. “I…want to stay…with JO1,” he looked up at Takumi, who nodded. Sukai turned to their boss, repeating again with more conviction, “I want to stay with JO1…as JO1. I think I’ve finally found where I belong and what I want to do. So please…let us stay,” he bowed his head down. Takumi followed suit, “Please.”

Their boss sighed, “…Well, it’s a pity, but I can’t force you to stay as an agent.” He walked towards the door, “I will arrange for your final paycheck to be transferred into your bank accounts. I'll get HR to follow up with any paperwork...” He gave the boys a final look, “And I trust you remember you swore to secrecy, so everything is non-disclosable. Remember, we will always welcome you back.” He gave a chuckle and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Sukai’s tests went fine and was discharged in the evening. It was night by the time the two boys returned to the dorm by taxi.

They got off and walked towards the building. The members, short of Ruki and Issei, happened to be gathered outside Sho’s room, about to head in for a night of games. They turned to look at the duo approaching.

“Ah, it’s Takumi and Sukai.”

Takumi’s head bandage was removed and both their bruises on their arms and legs from the cable ties were hidden by their clothing, but they clearly looked worn out. But the members said nothing and simply smiled, as if knowing not to probe. The youngest member, Issei, came trotting down the stairs holding his Switch. 

“Ah, welcome home!” he beamed, full of boyish freshness. 

“We’re home.” Takumi and Sukai had never felt happier to say these words.

“Will you join us for games?” Keigo asked, pointing at Sho’s room.

“…Sure,” Takumi said and Sukai nodded.

The members smiled. They all squeezed into their leader’s tiny apartment, spilling themselves across the floor and sofa, while Ren pulled out the Werewolf game and shuffled the role cards.

The door opened, and in came Ruki, struggling to carry a cardboard box.

“What’s that?” Shosei peered over as Ruki set the box down with a heavy thud.

“Coke,” Ruki announced, flipping the top open, revealing two dozen cans of Coke.

“What? You ordered Coke in bulk again?” Sho tutted in disapproval.

“I didn’t!” Ruki protested, gesturing at the slip of paper stuck to the box, “It was delivered in my name, but there’s no sender written. Probably a staff? Since they know I love Coke.”

“We’ll help you with that,” Syoya grinned, crawling over to the box and picking up a few cans to distribute to the members.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s why I brought it over,” Ruki said nonchalantly as he reached into the box. “Here, Takumi. Coke is your favourite too, right?” He handed Takumi a can.

“Yeah, thank you.” Takumi gratefully accepted it and immediately pulled the can tab. There was a lack of the satisfying pop and fizzle of carbonation that Takumi yearned for, which disappointed him. But he was too exhausted to worry about that. Coke is Coke, and all Coke is good. 

Sukai wrinkled his nose, slightly puzzled, as Takumi brought the can to his lips. 

The realisation hit Sukai with not a moment to spare.

“Wait…!” his palm slammed into Takumi’s hand, barely missing Takumi’s handsome face that Sukai liked so much. Takumi yelped, shocked at the sudden impact. The can of Coke fell out of Takumi’s hand and hit the floor with a resounding clang, the contents spilling all over the wooden floor, thankfully missing the nice wool carpet.

“Sukai what the-” Takumi started, before the realisation hit him as well.

“Eww! What is that???” the other members exclaimed, cringing as they had a closer look at the solution.

“Let’s hurry and wipe it up,” Junki hurried to get a cloth from the kitchen.

“Eh!? Are all the cans defective? This is why I prefer Lifeguard!” Shion huffed, heading to the kitchen sink to check the contents of his can as well. “Yup, they’re all bad,” he declared. “What the heck is this?? Dishwashing liquid?? Rukkun do you have a hater or something??”

“What?? This is creeping me out! I’ve got the chills…” Ruki shuddered as he folded his arms. 

“Okay, no one drank it yet, right?” Sho glanced at the members and everyone responded negative.

Sukai was a ghostly pale. Takumi’s blood ran cold as he watched the pale blue liquid from the can pool on the floor. 

_Pale blue liquid._ They had just seen lots and lots of it the day before. 

Takumi’s chest felt tight and he almost felt like passing out.

_’Mission success’._

But was it really?


End file.
